{
    "term": "understand",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "understand",
            "heSheIt": "understands"
        },
        "pastSimple": "understood",
        "pastParticiple": "understood",
        "ingForm": ""
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to know or realize the meaning of words, a language, what somebody says, etc.",
            "sensetop": "understand (something)understand what…",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Can you understand French?",
                    "contextForm": "understand (something)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Do you understand the instructions?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She didn't understand the form she was signing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His accent made him difficult to understand."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I'm not sure that I understand. Go over it again."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don't want you doing that again. Do you understand?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I don't understand what he's saying.",
                    "contextForm": "understand what…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I could barely understand a word of his story."
                },
                {
                    "text": "If I've understood you correctly…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The girl understands immediately and promises to be more careful."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I finally understood what she meant."
                },
                {
                    "text": "What is generally understood by ‘democracy’?"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["clearly", "well", "completely"],
                "verb + understand": ["be able to", "can", "be unable to"],
                "preposition": ["about", "as"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be commonly understood",
                    "be generally understood",
                    "be popularly understood"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to know or realize how or why something happens, how it works or why it is important",
            "sensetop": "understand somethingunderstand why, what, etc…understand somebody/something doing somethingunderstand that…be understood as something",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Doctors still don't understand much about the disease.",
                    "contextForm": "understand something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "No one is answering the phone—I can't understand it."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I **fully understand** the reason for your decision."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She understands the importance of good design."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I could never understand why she was fired.",
                    "contextForm": "understand why, what, etc…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is **easy to understand** how he made this mistake."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They’re too young to understand what is happening."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I just can't understand him taking the money.",
                    "contextForm": "understand somebody/something doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I just can't understand his taking the money."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was the first to understand that we live in a knowledge economy.",
                    "contextForm": "understand that…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The national housing market is **better understood** as a collection of small, local housing markets.",
                    "contextForm": "be understood as something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her behaviour wounded him in a way he did not really understand."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They won't necessarily understand the pros and cons of the matter."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The effects of these chemicals on the body are still poorly understood."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These beliefs are best understood as a form of escapism."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a woman struggling to understand an incomprehensible situation"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I can't understand what all the fuss is about."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We came to understand why certain things happened in certain ways."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She understood that this was her last chance."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["clearly", "well", "completely"],
                "verb + understand": ["be able to", "can", "be unable to"],
                "preposition": ["about", "as"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be commonly understood",
                    "be generally understood",
                    "be popularly understood"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to know somebody’s character, how they feel and why they behave in the way they do",
            "sensetop": "understand somebodyunderstand what, how, etc…understand (that…)understand somebody doing something",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "a1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Nobody understands me.",
                    "contextForm": "understand somebody"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He doesn't understand women at all."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We understand each other, even if we don’t always agree."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They understand what I have been through.",
                    "contextForm": "understand what, how, etc…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I understand how hard things have been for you."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I quite understand that you need some time alone.",
                    "contextForm": "understand (that…)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "If you want to leave early, I'm sure he'll understand."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I quite understand you needing some time alone.",
                    "contextForm": "understand somebody doing something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I quite understand your needing some time alone."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These categories help us to better understand our readers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She realized that she had never properly understood him."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["clearly", "well", "completely"],
                "verb + understand": ["be able to", "can", "be unable to"],
                "preposition": ["about", "as"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be commonly understood",
                    "be generally understood",
                    "be popularly understood"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to think or believe that something is true because you have been told that it is",
            "sensetop": "understand (that)…understand somebody/something to be/have somethingit is understood that…",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I understand (that) you wish to see the manager.",
                    "contextForm": "understand (that)…"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Am I to understand that you refuse?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Prime Minister is understood to have been extremely angry about the report.",
                    "contextForm": "understand somebody/something to be/have something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is understood that the band are working on their next album.",
                    "contextForm": "it is understood that…"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["clearly", "well", "completely"],
                "verb + understand": ["be able to", "can", "be unable to"],
                "preposition": ["about", "as"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be commonly understood",
                    "be generally understood",
                    "be popularly understood"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to agree something with somebody without it needing to be said",
            "sensetop": "it is understood that…",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I thought it was understood that my expenses would be paid."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Discussion and agreement"],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["clearly", "well", "completely"],
                "verb + understand": ["be able to", "can", "be unable to"],
                "preposition": ["about", "as"],
                "phrases": [
                    "be commonly understood",
                    "be generally understood",
                    "be popularly understood"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "to realize that a word in a phrase or sentence is not expressed and to supply it in your mind",
            "sensetop": "understand something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "In the sentence ‘I can't drive’, the object ‘a car’ is understood."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to make somebody believe/understand something",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I was given to understand that she had resigned."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to make your meaning clear, especially in another language",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He doesn't speak much Japanese but he can make himself understood."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈstænd/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understand__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈstændz/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understands__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈstʊd/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understood__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understanding__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈstænd/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understand__us_2.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈstændz/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understands__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈstʊd/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understood__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˌʌndərˈstændɪŋ/",
                "audio": "un/understand/understanding__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English understandan (see under-, stand)."
}